Hunger
by stoner-blake
Summary: An apprentice hunter, Ruby is sent out with her sister, and her partner, to answer a village's call about vampires causing chaos. What seemed like a simple job at first, becomes far worse than they could expect. (rating may change later on)
1. Chapter 1

Maybe the church wasn't as clean as it could be due to the fact that it only serviced a group of small villages out in the country. Maybe the many dust flecks drifting quietly through the moonbeams coming in through the tall, dirty, stained glass windows on the walls was simply because the clergy had lacked the proper tools to keep the small, hall-like structure in perfect shape, and not because this house of faith had simply been left abandoned or forgotten about at the edge of the village in question that Yang and Blake had been called to. Either way, the calming feeling that churches normally had was replaced by a foreboding atmosphere that only heightened along with the darkness clinging to corners and under wooden pews. And yet, the small girl with the red tinged hair only pulled her crimson cape around her some more instead of immediately making for the door.

Even as Ruby tried to reassure herself that the pair of hunters would be back soon, the echo of her footsteps rebounding off the walls shook her nerves with each break to the silence pressing down on her as she paced slowly down the main aisle. The hunter and her partner, Yang and Blake, had been assigned a bounty for a pair of vampires that had been wreaking havoc around the villages here for the past few weeks. And as an apprentice hunter, albeit one to her older sister. Ruby was supposed to tag along to the hunt to watch and learn.

Yet, almost as soon as they had arrived just as the last rays of the sinking sun, this church had been where the youngest of the trio was left behind, along with the horses and packs of equipment.

_"It's a pair of vampires, sis. No idea how old or how strong."_ Yang had tried to explain when her little sister protested about the decision. _"And you're still in training. There's always the chance that they might get out of our control and start causing collateral damage, so I'd rather have you out of the line of fire if it comes to that."_

Maybe it was reasonable to make sure the apprentice wouldn't be harmed in an especially dangerous hunt, if this hadn't already happened many other times before. For a year, the three had been travelling to hunts together, and, with the exception of a handful of times when it had been deemed safe enough that she could actually watch from a distance, Ruby had either been sent off on an errand while the real job was taken care of, or like today, been stationed at a safe point away from the danger. Only once had she ever been allowed to take part of the hunt, and that was for a pixie throwing a tantrum over a ribbon being stolen from it.

Her hand twitched towards the weapon that lay folded up and perched on her lower back, under her cape. How many times would she have to beg Yang to let her do more, to let her show that she was capable of at least watching the fights without becoming a liability? This was supposed to help her eventually become a hunter in her own right, and how was she to do that without any actual experience?

An empty sigh slipped out as the thoughts ran through her head yet again as she neared the altar again during her pacing. With each time that she was left alone like this, the more desperate the questions seemed to be to have answers finally given to them.

"What do I have to do to prove myself?" And just why was she letting herself actually say the question outside of her mind? Was the teenager trying to appeal to some higher power that might be listening to take pity on her and provide an opportunity?

Heh, Uncle Qrow would probably scold her for doing that if he was here. One of the oldest hunters to still be around, he seemed wary of almost anything. Most said that was why he was still around today when so many of those who had become hunters alongside him now lay in graves around the world.

Looking across the altar, and up towards the biggest stained glass pieces, that of the four basic Dust forms, lit up with a pale glow from the moonlight, the girl paused, trying to recall a time when she had actually asked why not to voice prayers out loud.

_"You never know who might answer your calls. Could be an angel. Could be a demon."_

The creak of old wood straining against being moved cut through Ruby's thoughts, one hand reaching immediately for the cold metal on her back as she turned round to face the main church door that was now being held open.

"Oh?" The voice that spoke was light, although there seemed to be an edge of humour to it. Enough that a person watching the scene could say suggested that the person was amused to find what reaction her entrance got. "I wasn't expecting to find anyone else here at this hour."

Ruby's hand stayed where it was under her cape as she viewed the cloaked individual. While her silver eyes scrutinized the form of the stranger, golden eyes gleamed curiously back at her.

"...Haven't got much to say, do you?" The stranger spoke once more when silence fell back in between them. A hand emerged from under the dull brown cloak, rising to grasp at the edge of the hood masking her face. Dark hair spilled out as it fell back, most of it curling around the woman's left shoulder. While the moonbeams coming in weren't the best lighting to see the other's face with, Ruby could surely see a tug come to the corner of full lips before the woman spoke again. "Or perhaps, you think I'm a ghost?"

"Ah! Sorry!" There was not much reason to snap into being defensive here, in a church of all places. Ruby knew well enough that anything like a vampire wouldn't even be able to place one foot on the grounds around this building. Her hand fell away from her weapon as the girl straightened back up, her stance relaxing. "I guess... I just wasn't expecting anyone to show up here either. I thought the news of vampires would keep people from travelling at night." She tried to explain, the same hand that been ready to whip out Crescent Rose now awkwardly fiddling with the hair on the back of her neck.

"Vampires?" A glint passed sharply over the stranger's gaze, the light smirk never changing. "I hadn't heard any such news before now." As she talked, the woman started to stride slowly towards the altar where Ruby still remained standing by. "But, it sounds like you know enough to tell me about it."

"Oh, you're not from around here then?" A small whinny came from Ruby's horse tethered outside. Now that she thought about it, she hadn't heard another horse trot up to the church. Had the woman been travelling on foot? It was uncommon, but not unheard of for people around the poorer counties like this one to opt for trekking everywhere instead of investing in a horse they would have to then feed and shelter.

Perhaps her trek had gone longer than originally though, and the church was where the woman was seeking shelter for the night. "What would make you travel out this way?" Ruby racked her brain, trying to remember if there was anything more than poor farming soil and a couple of mines out this way.

"Visiting some old friends, you could say." There was a click of heels echoing round the church as the stranger kept walking closer, the repetitive noise like the tick of a clock in an empty room. "To be honest though, I'm more interested in what a young girl like yourself would be doing alone in an old dusty church like this. And how you would know of vampires being nearby."

"Oh, oh yeah." She hadn't explained that part yet. "I'm an apprentice of hunters that came because of a bounty put out on the vampires." That got a raised eyebrow from the woman, now at the two steps that raised the ground up onto the platform the altar was laid on.

"Hmm, you look a little young to be an apprentice hunter." Ruby let out a noiseless laugh at hearing that age old statement yet again. "But if that's the case, why aren't you out there with them?" A slight tilt of the head accompanied the question. But as before, the soft smirk still remained. "Surely the role of an apprentice is to help with hunts." It made Ruby squirm inside to hear the questions she had been asking herself just minutes ago being echoed by another. Even any other person who heard of how Yang made her stay behind would notice it as odd.

"W-well, they thought it safer for me to stay behind." Silver eyes darted to dodge the gaze of golden ones as she echoed her sister's words from before, turning to focus on the stained glass some more. Because of that, Ruby missed the smirk of the other woman growing in response. "We don't know too much about them, and it's easier to prevent harm than it is to deal with it afterwards."

"That sounds wise." Having looked away, the girl hadn't realised the woman had come up beside her until the next time she spoke. Jerking back to pay attention, Ruby turned back, her cheek met by a cool hand coming to cup it.

A light grip tilted her head to face the older woman looking down on her. Being this close, now was the first time the teenager was able to notice just how pale the stranger's skin was, though it was hard to tell whether that was just a trick of the moonlight. Those same golden eyes she had seen earlier were now practically glowing like two amber lanterns.

"I mean, it wouldn't do to let a cute girl like you get put in harm's way." A thumb traced down over Ruby's cheekbone as the girl froze in place from the contact. Another glint of light passed over the stranger's eyes as Ruby's breath caught in her throat. "A pretty little face like that, shouldn't ever be marked by cuts or bruises." The hand pulled away from her cheek to drift along a stray strand of hair, pushing it back behind her ear before dropping away.

"U-Um, thank you?" There was still a tingle along where her face had been touched as Ruby pulled back from the woman, feeling the need to gain a bit more personal space now. That had been... weird. "...I'm surprised that there weren't already other people from the villages in here when we arrived." Maybe a change of subject would get rid of the awkwardness. "Wouldn't a church normally be used as a refuge from a vampire attack?" Not to mention they were normally a hub for the community. This one though... It felt like no one had come here in months.

"Hmm, true." The woman had both hands perched on the edge of the altar now, leaning on the stone as she peered over it. "But as a refuge from vampires, the protection for that can be broken. And I'm betting that," One hand rose up to point a scarlet nail over the altar, to the floor that would be behind it. "Is a sign of that having happened."

Curious, Ruby joined her at the stone table, brows creasing as she looked at the scene. There was some kind of dark stain on the floor, forming the shape of a large splatter. Did someone spill the sacramental wine during mass? No, the stain was far too big to be from a single cup or jug. Not to mention, wine normally went light when it stained stone. If she had to guess, that maroon colour looked more like old blood...

"...There was a murder?" It was hard not to voice her surprise and confusion instead of keeping it as thoughts. "But, that wouldn't normally do anything. The spells lain by the church shouldn't be affected by someone dying on the grounds." Theory that she had had to read over and over as part of her initiate studies was helpful to reassure herself with. Even though it didn't stop a creeping cold from going up her spine.

"Didn't you wonder why there wasn't a priest here to meet you?" The whisper almost sounded conspiratorial, increasing the cold feeling prickling Ruby's skin. "If it was a murder among the normal members of the villages, then true, nothing would have come of it other than grief and death. But if a clergy member, one of those who helped weave the spells onto the church, and who also served as an anchor for them..."

The message was clear. If it was true, then this meant the building was no safer to stay at than any other part of the villages. And any traveller who thought the place would offer a safe night's sleep, would probably awake to find themselves drained of blood. Still, while such a story would make sense if indeed there was no protection left here, there were still glaring holes that Ruby needed answers to, even if she felt half sure of just what those answers would be.

"Y-you say all that like you know for a fact that that's the story behind it." She tried to control the chattering of her teeth, even as the chill spread from her spine. "And yet, you said before that you aren't from here." The smirk on the woman widened, this time enough to show a patch of gleaming teeth hidden behind her lips.

"I was wondering when you might catch on." Dark hair shifted around the woman's shoulder as she straightened up to look yet again at the girl with her. Now smiling right at the apprentice, Ruby could see the telltale fangs replacing the normal eyeteeth that humans would have. "I had heard already from my protégés the trouble they had caused here, but I wasn't absolutely sure all the spells had been undone until I set foot on the grounds tonight. Now, not a single one remains to restrain my strength here, let alone repel me from entering."

The silence that fell now was more deafening than ever. While Ruby tensed up, the vampire remained relaxed, as if they were only having a pleasant conversation. Amber eyes fixed upon a hand slowly trying to slide unseen behind the girl's back, reaching for a weapon.

"So. What will you do now?"

* * *

"Go faster! Come on!" Yang goaded her horse, despite it already foaming at the mouth from how much effort it was putting in to gallop at top speed. Blake followed close behind, silent but still nudging her heels into her own steed's sides to encourage it in a different way.

The blonde gritted her teeth as she saw the church come into sight. She knew something was up from the very moment they had engaged with the pair of young vampires. The both of them had acted cocky, and yet dodged any attempts to draw them into direct combat. Like this was just a game to them, flitting around the village in the valley behind them now, forcing the hunters to chase them round and round thinking they were going after the villagers hiding in their houses.

It was hard to keep track of the time, but after what felt like an hour of 'playing', both the vampires suddenly took on the same surprised look, like hearing someone call out their names. And once that happened, it was all over. A kick to knock them back from the silver haired one, and a flare of billowing smoke from the green haired one, and they were both gone.

Minutes after that was when they had discovered from the villagers the recent event of the local priest having gone insane and hacking his wife to pieces during a choir rehearsal before slicing his own throat.

Had this all been some kind of trap? No, who would want to set a trap for any one of them? Hell, why would they presume that the hunters would stop there instead of going straight after the vampires they had been sent here for? The only reasons for them to destroy the living anchor of the protection spells would be to destroy the one place of refuge the villagers had, and to make anyone else who stayed there a sitting duck.

And here they had been, thinking no place was safer to leave Ruby than at a church.

A shatter of glass ripped through the air as they neared their destination, both girls immediately glancing to where the giant window above the main doors had been, now replaced by an empty frame. And as shards of broken glass twinkled while falling to the ground below, a figure draped in a large cloak stepped into it, a familiar, limp figure being cradled by them. Yang couldn't help herself at the sight.

"Ruby!" Without even pausing to think about it, the blonde reached over shoulder, drawing out her crossbow, aiming it at the figure, and pulling the trigger all in one swift motion.

As was half expected, the bolt flew straight at the figure's head, only for one hand to snap up at the last moment to catch it, still holding comfortably onto the unconscious girl with the other arm. The wood crunched in the vampire's hand as a gust of wind blew off her hood.

"So that's her name. Shame I didn't think to even ask for it before." She spoke calmly, dropping one half of the snapped bolt to the ground below. "Either way, I guess this means I have another gem to add to my collection."

"Let her go. Right now!" Anger and desperation lined Yang's voice as she reached for another weapon to use. Golden eyes flicked over to the faunus, who was grabbing her own crossbow to use. A sadistic grin spread across the vampire's face as she analysed them.

"As you wish."

The arm that had been holding on so securely to the girl so far pulled away without even a second's notice, letting gravity take effect far quicker. Eyes wide, the blonde hunter practically flew from her saddle in her rush to prevent Ruby from hitting the ground. As that happened, Blake's own bolt shot from her crossbow.

Only to pass straight through the suddenly empty cloak of the figure as a high pitched screeching filled the air. A swarm of bats flew out from the garment as it fell back into the church, zooming down to reach the girl just as she got within a meter of the ground, and knocking Yang back with their sheer force by taking off by her. Her arms raised to prevent the flying vermin from getting in her face, the hunter had no protection for the sharp end of the broken bolt that was stabbed into her shoulder as they passed.

She fell back with a grunt of pain. One hand reached for the broken bolt to immediately try tugging it out, but the slick feel of her own blood took any purchase away from her fingers. From her position, all she could do now was watch the dark cloud of bats disappear with alarming speed into the distance, taking her sister with them.


	2. Chapter 2

"Hold still."

Blood covered splinters lay on the ground next to Yang, Blake working diligently to pluck them out from her partner's shoulder, despite the thrashing and groans from the blonde. You'd figure the pain of having a crossbow bolt slowly drawn out of her shoulder would have been enough pain to force the snarl off of Yang's face by now.

"But Ruby!" Yang spoke out, panic and pain adding a desperate to her voice. "That monster took her! We have to get on the horses and-Ah!" Another large splinter was yanked out from the mess of bloody flesh, thrown away to where others of varying sizes had been discarded to.

"I know." The faunus stated, never taking her eyes away from her work. "But you saw that vampire. Strong enough to easily overwhelm us, potential master to those other two, and old enough to have access to abilities we know little about. We can't just go chasing after her." Yang cried out as the metal head of the bolt was worked out from muscle, bright red blood seeking to quickly spurt from the opening as Blake swiftly pressed an already soaking bandage into the wound to stem the flow. "Especially not with the state you're in. This is over our heads."

"So what? You saying we have to abandon her?" A red gleam came to the blonde's eyes as she fought to sat up despite the faunus pushing her back down. Even with the amount of blood she had lost, the huntress was raring to go. Despite the fact that she could likely collapse before they could even pick back up the vampire's path.

"No. I'm saying we need help." A cat ear flicked as Blake went to put back on pressure to the shoulder, trying to think of how she could persuade her partner to stay still long enough for her to stitch up the hole. "We need to call your uncle."

* * *

"Nngh..."

An ache pounding away in her skull eventually dragged Ruby out from sleep. Her vision blurred into vague shapes as a dim light flickered nearby, the girl's mind scrambled to find the last memory it had stored to link it to what was happening now.

Another round of the ache pulsing through her head, and the images of the strange woman batting away a blow from the girl's scythe with a bare hand, before reaching towards Ruby with the other. They snapped off an instant before the woman could actually touch her, leaving a sense of unease and an inkling of just where this headache had come from as she blinked some more, watching the shapes come into focus slowly.

A candle's flame flickered on a set of drawers next to the large double bed as Ruby pressed her hands into the mattress below her in order to sit up. A wool blanket that had been spread on top of her slipped down to her waist and legs during the motion, eventually being thrown to one side as she slid over to the edge of the bed. Everything in the bedroom seemed to be dressed up in dark or otherwise muted colours in this room, with even the plush carpet that the girl's bare feet sunk into being ash grey. Pausing for a moment to take in the sudden lack of boots on her person, she decided it would be something to investigate later, after she had figured out just where she was.

The brass knob on the door just off to the side of the bed refused to budge when the teen wrenched it around, obviously having been locked from the other side. Glancing back around the room to see if there was another possible way out, Ruby was left wanting. Other than the bed and the drawers, there was little other to the room other some more furnishings to take up the space. A dressing table with a mirror hanging over it and a chair to sit down in while primping in front of it, a pair of bookcases full of faded or slightly worn covers, and a closet far taller than the girl were the few pieces of furniture placed around the walls. Everything was tidy, no items left in the drawers she was rummaging through now that could have any potential use in any kind of escape plan. There was a window on one side of the room, letting the huntress-in-training see that it was still dark outside, even with a pale blue coming up fast on the horizon's edge. A good avenue for an escape... if there weren't bars placed on the outside of the frame, as she found after pulling it open. Not to mention it seemed she was two floors up from the ground, not a nice drop to take if she wanted to avoid breaking her legs.

The place might have looked like a room meant for a valued guest, but there was no disguising the fact that this was basically being used as a cell for the girl. Though why she was still alive instead of drained of every drop of blood in her body and left for dead back in the church, that was a mystery to her. Just what was there about her would have led to this situation?

A creak came from the door as its hinges squealed in protest to letting it swing open, Ruby spinning around to face whomever was coming in.

"Ah. Looks like the sleep didn't last as long as we thought it would." The dark skinned girl with emerald hair, mostly short save for two long tails of it that went down her back, let out an annoyed sound to end her words with. The brief sneer the sound pulled her mouth into was enough to let slip a glimpse of long fangs taking the place of where the canine teeth would be on both jaws. Red eyes regarded Ruby calmly, even though the slightly downturned curve to her mouth suggested the vampire was less than happy to be here.

"So this is the toy she brought back with her?" A new voice came through the door, a boy roughly a head taller than the first girl choosing this as the moment to stroll into the room behind her. Just like the girl, he looked to have been in his teens when turned, maybe a couple of years more than Ruby's age. He gave a grin, raising a hand to idly push back some silver hair from his forehead. "Looks a little on the fragile side, doesn't she?"

There was a glint to his eyes as he glanced towards the human, enough to activate the urge to reach behind her back for where her scythe would normally be fastened to her belt. Predictably, her hand grasped thin air. The corners of the other girl's mouth tilted upwards at the sight.

"Did you really think a weapon like that was going to be left with you, even in a house of vampires?" She chided, taking a step closer, the tilt of her mouth becoming an outright smirk. A quick glance over shoulder at the taller of the pair before she spoke again. "I think we can get away with playing around with the toy for a while, don't you?"

Ruby didn't like the way their smirks widened into fanged grins after that question.

"Oh, I think not." A familiar voice called from beyond the doorway, causing both grins to drop suddenly from their faces. "Didn't I explicitly tell you both that you weren't to come near this room without my permission?"

The hard edge to the elder vampire's tone as she walked into the room made the pair to turn to face her, Ruby's mouth tightening as she recognised the one she had met in the church. Only now, there was no cloak around her to hide both the clothing under it, and the form it catered to. A red dress set off the shoulders, a piece of tied string across her collarbone either to help hold up the dress around her chest, or just as a piece of decoration. Crossed arms let Ruby get a good look at the gold designs that swirled down the sleeves, to where a ring on both middle fingers was attached to the ends of the material, keeping it in place.

"Ah! Forgive us, Cinder!" The one with emerald hair ducked into a short bow, one hand discreetly rising up to press down on the guy's back when his bow came shorter than hers. "We only meant to..."

"It doesn't matter what you have to say." Amber eyes blazed down upon them, one hand giving a curt wave to the door. "All that matters is that you leave this room, now."

Another bob further into the bow, and the pair of younger vampires, Ruby presuming now that they were of the elder's blood from the way they immediately moved to obey, walked out, although a pair of green eyes did spare a glance with furrowed brows the human's way before leaving. Maybe it was a good thing to no longer have those two eyeing the girl with gleaming fangs on display, but Ruby sure didn't feel like it had gotten any better when those bright eyes swivelled back to lock onto her.

"So then..." The woman, 'Cinder' as the younger vampire had called her, closed the door with a soft click as it locked in place, Ruby's eyes watching even a highly improbable way of escaping slip from her grasp with the noise. "Now that you're awake, I suspect you might have some questions?"

"Ah..." She did, that was true, but would she like the answers that the vampire might give her? But there wasn't much else she could do either. Maybe she should start off with the lesser questions that she was worried about. "...just where am I?"

"In my home." Cinder answered matter-of-factly, crossing the room to sit down on the side of the large bed. "Specifically, in one of the guest rooms in it." The glance towards the bars on the window at the mention of it being a 'guest' room did not go unnoticed by the vampire. The corners of her lips twitched up and stayed there. "I brought you here, after you passed out at the church."

"And those two?" Ruby asked as her eyes flicked back to the door.

"I suppose you could call them my children, given that I was the one to turn them." A hand patting down the surface of the bed cause the girl's attention to flick back over to the vampire. Her lips had parted back into a small smile as she patted one more time the space beside her on the bed. "You might as well come and sit down, instead of just standing there and fidgeting."

She hadn't even noticed herself that she had crossed her arms over her chest, one hand's fingers twisting the fabric of her sleeve around between them. Hesitation met the suggestion of getting even closer to the vampire, despite the fact that there would be no difference whether or not she was beside Cinder or at the other end of this house from her if the vampire actually wanted to hurt her.

One elegant eyebrow rose up at the lack of movement, although the tilt of the fanged smile changed just enough to tease. "You were taught manners by your Hunter teachers, were you not?"

That was the hint that finally broke through. Of course her teachings had also included some lessons on what to do when captured by some of the creatures they were supposed to be hunting. And one of the lessons they made sure that each and every student had crammed down their throats every day, was specifically about not upsetting vampires that had complete control over the situation at hand.

Although trepidation was making every nerve in her body scream in protest, the teen slowly walked over. She did perch herself on the edge of the mattress, the corners of the vampire's smile rising up slightly at noticing the gap the girl set between themselves.

"No more questions, little red?" Cinder asked, tilting her head back a little. They both very well knew there was one more big question that hadn't been talked about. And yet, Ruby wasn't sure if she was going to like what the answer might be, even as she took a breath to ask.

"Why did you bring me here?" It came out quicker than she had intended to, rushing out of her mouth before she could have a chance to pause. "If you intend to just drain me of my blood, why didn't you do it back at the church?"

A short laugh almost made her jump, not expecting the vampire to smile broadly at her words.

"If my intention was only the blood in your veins, you would be lying on the floor of that church, cold as the stones laid into that building." The gleam in her eyes was almost as bright as that of her fangs peeking over her lips as she looked at the huntress in training. "Did you really think your only worth lay in the same red liquid that pulses through nearly every other human and animal out in the wide world?"

"U-um..." A hand sneaking round to grab on to her waist cut whatever answer she could be possibly be trying to think up short, the firm grip pulling her in closer to the point that their hips pressed up against each other. The hand remained where it was despite its goal being accomplished, perhaps in case Ruby tried to squirm back away. It was certainly something she wanted to do, and probably showed plainly on her face as her eyes widened.

"The reason you are here and not lying dead in that place of 'worship', little gem, is because you caught my interest." Cinder's remaining hand rose up, a half curled set of fingers gently pushing up Ruby's chin to face her better. It made the short distance between them even more clearer, and the hungry light in the vampire's amber eyes, despite the shadows on her face, all the more brighter.

"...How?" As far as Ruby knew, the only thing that might set her apart was being a trainee huntress at a younger age than most could achieve, but even that didn't seem anything special to warrant the interest of a vampire like Cinder.

"Hmm. That, I'm not quite sure of myself. Perhaps it was the idea of having a pretty little thing to brighten up my home with." Despite the calm tone she was continuing the conversation with, it was hard to ignore the flicker of Cinder's eyes down to Ruby's neck for a split second. The hand on the girl's waist tightened its grip. "A pretty little pet to have around... yes, I quite like that idea."

Her eyes diverted from the human next to her, to gaze at the lightening horizon shown through the window. "But it's starting to look like we're running out of time for this conversation, little gem. Maybe we'll talk more tomorrow, when night comes again. For now though..."

The hand at her chin drifted across skin towards the neck, brushing back a lock of hair, before the fingers buried themselves in Ruby's scalp, drawing back her head despite a sharp cry at being pulled into exposing her neck. The same cry cut off quickly as Cinder wasted no time. There was little resistance to stop her fangs from plunging straight into the arteries that lay just below, despite one human hand trying in vain to push her back by the shoulder, the blood eagerly escaping from the punctures. The excess of what she could not drink fast enough dribbled down the girl's chest, although they left barely any visible marks on the cape and dress she still had on.

The hands at the back of her head and waist kept her from pulling back even as pain became all she could feel. Ruby could feel the fangs in her neck shift as the vampire sucked and swallowed the liquid coursing out of her. A whimper crept out from her, unable to take it all in silence.

And then, it was over. Just as quick as she had lunged in, Cinder was pulling back her fangs as the ravaged skin before her swiftly moved to heal itself. What should have been a lethal wound from anything else, instead faded into white puncture marks thanks to the same magic that powered vampires. The holds on her softened, the hand on her head even moving to stroke her hair as Cinder leaned back from the human.

"With all the excitement that happened, I wound up almost forgetting to eat this night. Silly me." Despite all the blood that had just flowed into her mouth, the vampire's smile was still as bright as ever. A drop of escaped blood rolled down from a corner of her lips, one finger coming to wipe it up, disappearing past her lips so the vampire could enjoy even the last bit of her meal as she drew back further from Ruby, standing up and moving towards the door. "Do try to get some sleep before night comes back, little gem. I will be back to see you then."

Her head felt light as Ruby watched Cinder slip through the briefly opened door and heard it lock once more behind her. But most of all, as she collapsed across the bed, she felt her stomach twisting around as she thought of the position she was in. No idea where she was, trapped in a house of at least three vampires with her Crescent Rose taken from her, and having no way she could think of to contact her sister. It was almost enough to make her think there was no hope, even with the dawning light beginning to creep in.

How was she supposed to work her way out of this?


	3. Chapter 3

A growing swathe of bandages tightened round Yang's shoulder, the medic doing his best to get the wound covered up so it could start to heal cleanly and without probably getting an infection in the process. Propped up so her back was against the stone wall of the house they were in, the huntress should have been in a position to relax. But there was nothing in the world that could have taken the tenseness out of her muscles as she listened to her uncle.

"We have a decent idea of just where this vampire that took Ruby should be living right now." His short dark hair shook slightly as he paced a few steps, the black spikes of it reminding Yang of the feathers of the bird for which her uncle was named for. "The only thing is, we're going to need some time to figure out how to get her out of there."

"What do you mean? Seems pretty easy to me." Yang spoke up, a shrugging gesture causing the medic to scrunch his face up in annoyance at being disrupted in his work. "We get a band of hunters together, storm the place and kill whatever vampires we find, grab Ruby, and then go home. How much harder does it have to be other than to simply do that?"

"Because this isn't a simple situation." Qrow answered back. Blake, sitting in her own chair to one side of Yang, glanced between them quietly as the medic finished up and left without interrupting. "From what we got from you and the townspeople, this is a vampire with which... the organisation has history with. Ancient history."

"So we get more people to help out!"

"This isn't just a matter of how much manpower we have at our disposal! You're talking about fighting a vampire on their own territory, which would be enough of a struggle even with a normal one." With crossed arms, he drummed the fingers of one hand across the arm they were resting against. "We have to approach this situation with sensitivity. Maybe even bargain with them."

"What." Despite a day having passed, growling out that word made Yang immediately wince as an ache went through her shoulder before pressing on. "This creature went and kidnapped my sister, your niece, and your response is that we should try to bargain with them?"

"My first response is to try and get her back without any harm done to her." He said calmly, correcting her. "Don't you want the same?"

"...Yes." Not having anything to argue with against that point, she leaned back again against stone. After getting injured, Blake and Yang had stayed in the attacked village while sending off a call for help via pigeon messenger. Grateful and thinking that the vampires had been fended off for good from their land, the people that lived here had been happy to lend them a place to rest and wait for a superior member to come along and answer their plea for help. Having it be Yang's uncle that showed up was not what they had been expecting, but was no surprise either. He had been the one to suggest that Ruby be tied to her sister during her apprenticeship, after all.

"I don't see why a monster like that gets to be treated with respect though. All I've ever been taught is that we're out here to hunt down any and all possible threats to humanity." Yang said, adding a dismissive wave.

"I see Junior's teachings haven't been lost on you then." Qrow sighed, wishing it had been in his power to have given another teacher to the initiates. "Granted, you two are always put on missions where it's already determined that the targets need to be destroyed, so it would be hard for you to have experience with doing otherwise to them."

Another drum of fingers along his arm as he paused. "There are times where it's decided that some are not worth going after, for any number of reasons. Those reasons can be that the creature is already seeking not to do harm to any humans around it, or are willing to work with us in return for not being disturbed."

"Are you saying we owe favours to that one?" Blake said, figuring the first reason was out of the question with the vampire's apprentices, and Yang's shoulder being the way it was now. Qrow shook his head, glancing out a window to look at the sky, the sun hanging low in the sky as it sought to sink to the horizon.

"No. Even if we did owe her any favours at this time, there isn't much that could be used to excuse taking one of our apprentices." His mouth grew tight, pulling in like a reaction to a sour taste. "The problem here lies with strength, mainly the fact that we don't quite know how powerful she is now."

* * *

Day had gone by, and as the last few golden rays finally faded away from the forest that Ruby could see from her barred window, there was a click at her door. A now familiar head of green hair poked through as it opened, a quick glance around the room to find the girl sitting on the edge of the bed she had been given. There was no smirk or other signs of malice shown on the young vampire this meeting. Instead, she seemed chagrined as she stepped in, Ruby noting the thin line to her mouth as she slid off the bed and to her feet.

"I am to bring you to her." She said, a dull tone implying that she was reciting the orders she had been given. "You are going to follow me through the hallways. No trying to sneak off, unless you actually want to give me the excuse to hunt you down and drag you to her instead." The dullness gave way to the anticipation, or hopefulness, that the vampire must have been harbouring as she spoke those words. She turned back to the door, a hand raised up to her shoulder flicking forward as she walked, crooked fingers beckoning the human after her. "Now come on, we haven't got all night."

Even if Ruby had decided to make a break for it, she soon learned simply from walking after the other girl just how much larger this place was than she was expecting it to be. A hallway that must have spanned the whole side of the floor was larger than the training yard she and other initiates had had to run laps round back at home. Many windows were set into the stone wall facing out, each one with thick, dark curtains tidily pulled to the sides by golden ropes that gleamed in the candle light set up in sconces.

Ruby frowned as she reflected on the general tidiness and massive room of what must have been a mansion. Even for three vampires, all this would have been a lot of work to keep up on a regular basis, especially for beings that normally thought this beneath them to care about after they turned.

"Come on, keep up." The vampire snapped at the apprentice, who had not realised that her thoughts had caused her to slow. Not wanting to give her an excuse to carry out her threat from before, she hurried to catch up, soft thumps going into the carpeted floor as bare feet jogged across it. Turning round a corner the vampire had taken, she almost ran into the back of her, not knowing that they had arrived to where she had been leading to. Glancing from the light spilling from the half open door in front of them, Ruby looked to the vampire, receiving nothing more than a silent, but irritated, hand gesture telling her to enter.

Her hand paused on the wood, before she pushed herself to open it all the way. The source of the light was revealed, a fireplace blazing at full force, golden flames roaring up into the chimney. The spines of many books could be seen covering the opposite wall from the door, shadows flickering across them as the fire continued on. A single large armchair, the black material covering it unaffected by the moving light source, was near the fireplace, with a little varnished table beside it. And a figure was sitting in it.

She heard the door click shut behind her as Cinder looked up. Fangs slid into view as this vampire smiled at the appearance of her 'guest'.

"I trust Emerald didn't try to resort to crude methods to get you here?" Though the fangs tucked themselves away behind the woman's lips, the smile continued as Ruby shook her head wordlessly. "Good. I was wondering if they learnt their lesson from yesterday." Amber eyes glanced over the dress from yesterday that the girl was still wearing, a lack of anything else to change into meaning there were plenty of creases in it now. A chiding noise slipped from the vampire's mouth at noticing the sloppiness, though she said nothing about it.

"Now then…" A hand raised up to pat the side of her chair. A few small steps that Ruby wished she didn't have to take, and the girl was by the vampire's chair. There was a pause as she waited for another sign of what Cinder wanted, having tucked that hand back onto her lap. An expectant gaze made her squirm inside, thinking she was missing some hidden cue. Which made her take the tired sigh that came next as her missing the window to follow it in.

"Hmm. Perhaps I should have been clearer." Being this close, it wasn't that hard for the woman to lean towards the girl, stretching out an arm to wrap around her waist and draw her down to plop onto Cinder's lap, the squeak that came out of Ruby causing the corners of her smile to twitch. "Now this is much better." With the height difference between them, the woman could have Ruby's head tucked under her chin if they were pressed together like this. As it was though, Ruby sat away from the other's chest, spine rigid as she tried to fight the urge to jump up from this seat. A soft laugh came from the woman at the sight of a nervous huntress in training on her lap.

"You've been a surprisingly good pet so far, little gem." She commented, as Ruby listened to something clattering on the table beside them. "I don't think I've managed to find one before that didn't try to escape during their first day here. Not that they get very far, in any case."

"…Why's that?" Curiosity got the best of her, although it would have been easier just to fill in the blank with that she had let Emerald and the other vampire go after them.

"You've seen the surrounding forest from your window, yes?" A slight nod confirmed this. "Most that try to escape here try to run through the trees instead of taking the one path that leads in and out of here. I assume it's because they think it will give them cover from being spotted easily. Too bad they don't think that other creatures would take advantage of that, for other motives. Hold still." A finger curled around the base of Ruby's chin, a gentle push tilting her head back a few degrees.

Satisfied with the adjustment, Cinder pulled her hand back, finger sliding along the jawline to brush through the dark hair tinged with red towards their ends. Something pressed into the back of Ruby's head, bristles catching on the knots in her hair as it moved downwards through her locks. As it moved to go through her hair again, midway through she realised that it was a brush in the vampire's hand. It brought a feeling that made her think of a dog being groomed by it's owner, given Cinder's statement that the girl's role here was of pet.

"Most of the time, we don't even get to find much of them left. Save for maybe a puddle of blood where they were killed. Such a waste." She sighed as she talked of it as if it was food having gone bad, not that many lives had been lost to whatever monsters lived out in the woods. The slow brushing continued, moving to the sides. A tremble that went down Ruby's spine at the nonchalant way the woman discussed people dying easily in the forest did not go unnoticed despite the grooming. "Given you being a huntress though, I thought you would attempt to be another to add to that number."

"I'm only an apprentice." She replied meekly. And without her scythe, there was no way she could leave anyways. Unfortunately, her training had been heavy on how to wield her unique weapon, and not so much on the ways of hand to hand combat. "I've still got a lot to learn." And her sister was the one that could throw herself head long into what would be bad situations and come right out the other side of them.

"Seems a waste to throw your life into that line of work." Cinder commented, disdain clear in her voice. "Running after and trying to slay beings that have been around since the beginning of humankind itself, or even before. And for what exactly? To take away the only natural predators your species has, and to let more human monsters take their place."

"What makes you think that?" Ruby asked. Why would taking out vampires, werewolves and other creatures just make other humans into the next enemy? "We take out threats, not eradicate every single supernatural we find."

"So you say. But I've been around long enough to see what a person or a group will call friend or foe change to be the complete opposite in the end, if it serves them the better for doing so then." A particular drag of the brush yanked downwards suddenly, making Ruby's back straighten once more in response. "Are you so sure that you'd still be fighting for the 'good of humanity' in twenty years, maybe even ten?"

"I..." Was this some kind of trick? "I… only want to fight for what's right, and protect those who can't do it themselves. Just like the old heroes in the story books." She heard a rush of air come out through the vampire's nose, and knew her own cheeks were going pink in response. At least she hadn't gotten outright laughter for that statement, like she had with the other initiates of her year.

"You're even more of a child than I had thought originally then." The pink on her cheeks spread even more. With no more knots for the bristles of the brush to catch and untangle, it pulled away, a small clatter on the table as it was put away. "Not that it matters any more, with you tucked away in here now." It was easy to think that the vampire meant that Ruby would never be able to get out from here and rejoin the other hunters. And while her weapon was missing, the chances of that happening were certainly slim.

"…I'm going to be in here for a long time, is what you're saying?" A soft hum of agreement was the confirmation she got.

"That's certainly one way to put it. Though for me, it's hard to really picture the life for a human as being all that long any more." Cool fingers soon replaced the brush, curling through and stroking down the length of dark hair, from the dark strands down to the reddish tips. Ruby wanted to cringe and pull away, but training had left her to know better than to do that right now. "Strangely, I can remember seeing other hunters with hair like this before." A lock curled round one finger slid round as Cinder pulled her hand through, eyes watching the red streaks overtake dark brown before slipping from her finger. "Is this redness some kind of ritual or fad that initiates do?"

"No, my hair just did that on its own." The hand that had gone back into her hair paused, long nails resting against the girl's scalp. The tips of them pressed against skin just enough to draw a wince out of Ruby.

"...Your name. What was it?" She didn't like how the pleasant tone had shifted, now firm and demanding.

"Ruby? I thought you already knew that though-"

"Your whole name." The nails dug deeper as the vampire ordered again. "Say it for me."

"Ruby Rose!" There was no hesitation in her squeaking out the answer and to try to avoid upsetting Cinder in this mood. Silence came after, only the crackling of the burning wood casting light on them disrupting the quiet that was making the apprentice's heart beat faster. A sharp sting came as the fingers tensed into her scalp, before withdrawing with the speed of someone who had just been burnt.

"Get up." Even as Ruby scrambled to obey, Cinder was already pushing her aside as she rose up herself. The girl stumbled forwards, only to be yanked back by a stiff hand grabbing her shoulder and twisting her around. Before she could focus, both hands were around her head, holding her still and facing Cinder. Nails stung as they pressed into skin again, Ruby shrinking under the burning gaze that was inspecting her. After a few, extraordinarily long seconds, she spoke once more.

"Even silver eyes…" Her mouth was an unreadable line, the rest of her face falling into a blank slate. But not before Ruby would catch a flash behind golden eyes. Was it surprise that she saw there? Or something else?

"Emerald!"

The door to the study creaked open, the younger vampire having been waiting outside like she had been told to do.

"Yes, mas-" Her greeting as she entered was cut short by the human girl thrust towards her, supernatural reflexes that let her grab Ruby the only thing that prevented the two girls from slamming into each other.

"Take her back, now." Cinder's back was already to them. Emerald could practically feel the tension radiating off of her sire as she continued. "And then make sure no one disturbs me for a few hours."

"Yes, of course!" Not sensing any change as she agreed to the orders, the vampire hastened to move them out of the room and back down the hallway. She couldn't ever remember Cinder, the sire that always seemed in control and at ease no matter what was thrown at her, being in a mood like that. A glance at the human who now seemed to have gotten somehow smaller, and she still had no clue what had gone on in that room.

"What on earth did you do to upset her like that?" She couldn't stop herself from asking.

"I wish I knew." Gah, that answer only left her more irritated about not knowing what had happened! Not to mention there was no way she could ask Cinder herself about it. Not if she wanted to keep her skin.

"Maybe you should be thankful whatever it was, that it didn't happen back when you still had that weapon around." Emerald said, speaking what came to mind. "If you had taken a swing with her like that, you'd be nothing more than a smear on the ground now. Good thing we threw that thing into the storehouse." Maybe it would be better to have one of the servants take it to a town and trade it for something else. Too bad an apprentice hunter would have people coming to look for her, and the weapon showing up would just be a dead giveaway to their location.

The girl remained silent as the vampire vented a little, deciding to go into detail just how the huntress would have become just a bloody mark back in that church. From the sounds of her growing volume and increasing glee, the vampire was pretty proud of the vampire she had wound up calling her master. But for now, Ruby was caught up in thinking about two things. One was why did her hair and eyes seem to set something off in Cinder.

Two was the location she now had for her missing weapon.


End file.
